Roller



L. B. SMITH Sept. 17, 1946.'

v ROLLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 4, 1943 LUTHER 5. SMITH L. B. SMITHSept. 17, 1946.

ROLLE R Filed May 4, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 LUTHER B. 8/?! TH '2 l v:.lll .Hvllill 1 iv u Patented Sept. 17, 1946 UNITED. STATES PATENTOFFICE Application May 4, 1943, Serial No. 485,636

This invention relates to rollers especially adapted for use in thecompaction of earth areas such as road beds, playing fields or the likewhere it is desirable to have the earth surface well packed and level.

A principal object of the invention resides in the provision of a rolleror compactor embodying a plurality of wheels, each of which isindividually mounted in a novel type of carrying bracket for verticaloscillation independently of the other Wheels, with separate yieldablepressure imposing means interposed between each bracket and the body ofthe roller and located in a position to impose a direct downwardpressure or thrust on the wheel in the vertical plane of the wheel axle.

Another objectof the present invention is to provide a roller orcompactor in which the roller wheels may be separately removed andreplaced;

when necessary, without having to disconnect the carrying brackettherefor or disturb the other roller wheels.

A further object of the invention is to provide pressure imposing meansfor each roller wheel with novel means associated therewith for lookingthe wheel against vertical movement relative to the body or fordecreasing the extent of vertical movement of the wheel and increasingthe pressure of the wheel upon the ground.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel couplingarrangement between the .axle of each wheel and the fork of thesupporting bracket therefor.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings showing illustrative embodiments of the invention and wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in top plan of a roller constructed in accordancewith the present invention, parts being broken away.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4, of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a vertical, longitudinal section on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 6-6 ofFigure 5, parts being shown in elevation.

Figure 7 is a view in perspective of a, wheel bracket with the holdingplates for the wheel axle shown in removed relation therewith.

Figure 8 is a section taken substantially on line 8-8 of Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a vertical detail section through a spring unit showing thewheel locking means.

Figure 10 is a section taken substantially on line |0|0 of Figure 5.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral Ill generally designates asteel box type body or 5 Claims. (Cl. 94-50) platform, consisting of thetop and bottom plates H and I2, welded or otherwise secured to theU-beam frame Hi. The platform has openings normally covered by doors 15through which sand or other ballast material may be introduced into abox l6 disposed at the underside thereof. The bottom of the box 16 isprovided with a suitable opening controlled by a slide l8 to permitdumping of the ballast when desired.

Disposed beneath the front portion of the platform and pivotallyconnected thereto by a king bolt I9 is a fifth-Wheel 2!) having a tongue21 by which the roller may be coupled with a suitable draft machine.

The platform is preferably supported. by or mounted up'on thirteenwheels provided with smooth-tread 7.50 x 15 pneumatic tires. However, agreater or less number of wheels may be used as well as different typesand sizes of tires.

Secured to the underside of and extending acros the front or forwardpart of the fifthwheel is a series of pairs of hangers 22 through whichextends a shaft 23. This shaft has oscillatably mounted thereon a leg 24of each of a series of substantially L-shaped wheel brackets or forks B.A second or rear series of' pairs of hangers 25 are secured to andextend rearwardly from the back wall of the ballast box IE which isreinforced by the bar 26. These hangers perform the same function ashangers' 22, supporting a shaft 21, to which a series of the brackets Bis pivoted. The positions of the pairs of hangers of one series aresuch, however, with respect to those of the other series, as to staggerthe front and rear brackets and the wheels connected thereto, so that,as best seen in Figure 1, the rear wheels will pass over or cover thepart of the ground which passes between the front wheels. Thus, theentire ground surface will be packed along a strip having a widthequaling the distance between the outer sides of the extreme wheels ofthe widest series. In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, thisis the rear series.

The wheel mounting brackets B together with the compression springset-up, locking means and wheel structure are the same in the front andrear series of wheels. Therefore a description of one unit will suffice.

Each bracket B is in the form of an L having the previously referred toleg 24, which is normally substantially horizontal, and the angularlyrelated, downwardly extending leg 28, which is divided to form a fork,having the two spaced portions 28a. As best shown in Figure 7, the freeends of the portions 28a of each fork are slotted or notched from thebottom edges as indicated at 29 to receive a portion of a wheel axle. l

The numeral 30, generally designates the spring assembly for each wheeland bracket unit.

ures and 7, a compression spring 33, having" bearing plates 34 at itsends, is mounted in each pair of vertically aligned cups 3| and 32 totransmit to each individual wheel its proportion of. the

weight of the loaded body or platform.

At the rear end of the leg 24 is located a rearwardly extendingapertured ear 35, and above such ear is. a corresponding aperturedear 36carried by the top spring cup 32. Through these apertured ears 353Bpasses a headed bolt 31' having. a nut 38 threaded thereon and engagingone earwhile the head of the bolt engages the remote side of the otherear. By means of this bolt connection between the spaced spring cups,relative movement thereof is controlled, so that the tension of thespring may be increased or slackened or if desired, the cups may bedrawn together to the maximum, degree so that no movement of the bracketrelative to the machine body will be permitted, thereby locking thebracket and wheel carried thereby.

Each wheel 39 is mounted to rotate about a short axle 40, on a suitableanti-friction bearing, notv shown. Each end of the axle has asquaredportion 4| which is located in a slot 29 of the bracket fork. when thewheel is in position in the fork as shown particularly in Figure 6.Thus,

the axle is held from turning in the slots of the fork portions but thewheel may turn freely about the axle.

The axle. is retained inthe forkportions 28a by1locking plates 42, eachof which has an opening 43, to receive a squared end 4| of the axle andthese plates 42, are bolted against the. outer sides of the forkportions, as best illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. Thus, the wheels areeach securely held in a fork of a bracket, but may be easily and quicklyremoved and replaced, when necessary, without dismounting the bracket ordisturbing any of the other brackets and wheels.

While any form of bearing may be employed between the forward end ofbracket arm 24 and the. shaft to. which it is connected a simple andefi'icient type of bearing, is detailed in Figure. 10, wherein there isemployed a. sleeve 44, extending. thru thexarm 24 and having a bearing45 secured in each end through which the bracket supporting. shaftpasses.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present roller embodies anovel, compact wheel unit in which the pressure is applied directlydownwardly on the wheel through the straight vertical leg. 28 of thebracket whereby the maximum: of pressure-is obtained with a minimum useof. "space.

Also, it will be readily be. seen that the wheel pressure. may be variedas desired, within certain limits,.through the medium of the couplingbetween the spring cups, or the wheel may be locked, if desired, againstany vertical movement independent of the: body l0.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed. is: v

1. A roller of the, character described, come prising a weighted bodyand a forward and a rear series of supporting units therefor, eachseries comprising a plurality of angled brackets, each having asubstantially horizontally disposed leg in close proximity to said'bodyand a substantially vertical, downwardly extending leg having a forkedlower end, a horizontal pivotal coupling between the first leg of eachbracket and the body, a ground engaging wheel rotatably carried withinsaid forked lower end of the downwardly extending leg and underlying apart of said horizontally disposed leg, and a short compression springinterposed between said part of each of the first legs and the body.

2. A roller comprisinga weighted body, a series of supporting unitsdisposed beneath and across the underside of the body at the front end,a series of supporting units disposed beneath and across the under sideof the body rearwardly from the first series, a horizontal shaftsupported transversely of the body adjacent each series of units, eachunit comprising a substantially L-shaped' bracket having a substantiallyhorizontal leg the free end of which is pivotally mounted on theadjacent shaft and having the other leg extending downwardly in the formof a fork, a ground engaging-wheel rotatably mounted in each fork anddisposed entirely below'the top of said horizontal leg so as to bereadily removable from the bracket, and a short compression springinterposed between the non-pivoted end of each of the first-mentionedlegs of the brackets and the overlying body.

3. A roller as set forth in claim 2 with an adjustable coupling betweeneach bracket and the body and adjacent the spring by which the springtension may be controlled and the wheel locked against movement relativeto the body.

4. A roller of the character described, comprising a weighted body and aforward and a rear series of supporting units therefor, each seriescomprising a plurality of angled brackets, each having a substantiallyhorizontally disposed leg and asubstantially vertical, downwardlyextending leg, a horizontal pivotal coupling between the first leg ofeach bracket and the body, a

ground engaging wheel rotatably carried by thelower end of thedownwardlyextending leg, and a compression spring interposed betweeneach of the first legs and the body, each of said springs being disposedsubstantially in alignment with the adjacent vertical leg to impart adirect down ward thrust to and through the center of the underlyingwheel.

5. A roller of the character described, comprising a weighted body and aforward and a rear series of supporting units therefor, each seriescomprising a plurality of angled brackets. each having asubstantiallyhorizontally disposed leg in close proximity to said body and asubstantially vertical, downwardly extending leg having a forked lowerend, a horizontal pivotal coupling between the first leg of each bracketand the body, a ground engaging wheel rotatably carried within saidforked lower end of the downwardly extending leg, a. short compressionspring interposed between each of the first legs and the body,and meansconstructed and arranged relative to each spring and bracket and thebody for restraining the reaction of the spring and adjustable tosufficient extent to positively interengage the'bracket and the body.

LUTHER B".

